Cone-cottplihg



A. P. BRUSH.

CONE COUPLiNG.

APPLICATION FILED APR-8.1915.

1 1 95,97 1 I Patnted Aug, 29, 1916 ALANSON P. BRUSH, 0E DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

, CONE-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Eatcntcd ring, 29,

Application filed April 8, 1915. Serial No. i9,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Bo it known that I, Amnson P. BRUSH, citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cone-Couplings, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to friction couplings for connecting two relatively rotatable members in order to bring about a common state of rest or motion, as the case may be. If

cause the sudden starting of the previously non-rotating member, if the invention is embodied in a. clutch, or the sudden stopping of the previously rotating member if the invention is embodied in a brake. Also tov prevent the two friction surfaces from sticking together so'that their separation is either impossible or diiiicult.

The underlying novel characteristic of the invention is the employment of one rigid inelastic member having its friction surface in the form of a symmetrically warped cone surface, and an elastic easily bent conical ring, whose surface is adapted to be forced into contact with said warped conical surface, with the result of causing said elastic cone ring to be deflected out of its normal conical form and to be caused to assume more or less nearly the form of the warped conical surface with which it is engaging.

The invention embodied in a practical form and associated with mechanism which adapts it specifically for use as a friction clutch is shown in the accompanying drawings, is hereinafter described, and is for mally defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure l is a central longitudinal section or a friction clutch embodying the invention, and Fig. 2 is a view of the rigid member having the warped If only one of said menr cone surface, said view being from the right side of said iembcr as shown in Fin. 1.

Referring to the parts by letters, 15' and 30 represent two aline'd rotatable shafts; 10 represents one of the members of the coupling, which is fixed to the rotatable shaft 15. This member has an annula flange 11. whose inner surface 12 is warped substantially as shown in Fig. 2, that is to sav, the inner and approximately conical surface of this flange is formed of a. plurality of equal segments which respectively approach and repede from. the axis of rotation: The other friction member includes an elastic c mical T1110 20 and a wheel 22 with which said ring has a driving connection, which wheel has a, hub 2% in which is a squared hole that fits over a squared part 31 of the shaft 30, whereby this member 22 has a driving connection with the shaft, but is nevertheless capable of being moved lengthwise thereon. In the particular construction shown, this wheel is formed with a conical fiance which is made of thin and therefore suiiiciently flexiblesteel; and the conical ring 20 is riveted to this flange at intervals near their wide ends. This cone ring 20 is to be made of flexible spring steel suiliciently thin to enable it to be deformed by contact with the deformed or warped inner approximately conical surface 12 of the member 10. A spring 32 is employed to move the member of which the said ring 20 is a part, along shaft 30. This spring may be compressed between the flange 33 on said shaft and the end of the hub 23 of said member. The spring induced movement of said clutch member will cause the engagement of the outer conical surface of the ring 20 with the inner and approximately conical but actually warped inner surface of the flange 10. A ring 34 may be rotatably mounted in an annular groove 28' formed in the hub 2 and this may be engaged by arms 36 fixed to a rock shaft 37, and thereby the hub '24 and the parts'carried thereby may be moved in opposition tdthe spring 32, and thereby disengage the friction surfaces referred to.

In order to understand clearly in what manner the described parts cooperate to produce the desired result, it must be remembered that one of the shafts 15 and 30 is turning relatively to the other when the spring 32 is allowed to act to cause the engagement of the flexible cone ring 20 with the warped conical surface of the rigid This spring 32; should be be when sliis enge einent will flis'eorfced more or I 7 its en egement with the c. 12. $0 long as there is ision ef the two engagin sun elsiqertion of the ring 20 Will cuncl said ring that is to say; U l have ev n undulntery movement orion'eeeund the axis of reeebion. T the. spring is such that the l sensed-"$0 slowly Work is; warped female cone. This will nccesserily increase the distort-ion of the e will also increase the area of L surfaces of said Live parts.

:16 Ce The increasing-friction, due as the increase in area of the contacting surfaces, and the increesing resistance of the ring 20 so the unduleiory distoriion, will soon cause the relatively rotatable parts to come to a common smee of rest or motion as the case rnay be. This result will come rather more quickly than with an ordinary cone coupling, cut it will never come with a, jerk. L, is net at all probable that "the ring :20 I will ever distorted to such degree that entire outer surface will be in contecs with the Warped surface 1 Therefore, 'si parts will not stick tegetlien In fact, she inliereni; resiliency of the ring 20 will eid in releasing said parts from contact when by the rocking of the rock shaft 37 She movable cluecln member is moved away from the member 10.

Heving described my invention 1 claim:

1. In a cone coupling, the combination of two relatively rotatable parts, viz e Wheel liming an annular flange the inner surface of which is in the form of a symmetrical Warped cone, and a flexible cone ring lying Within said flange, and means for causing sziid cone ring to be pressed into contact;

"ltll the inner distorted conical surface cf said flange.

2. ln. a cone coupling, the combination of a wheel having an annular flange whose inner surface is in the form of e symmetrically Warped cone, :1 flexible cone ring lying within said flange and being heldiinsupported except adjacent to its edge of largest diameter, a second Wheel which is axially disposed with respect to the flanged Wheel and is rotatable independently thereof and- Which enters and contacts and is ri.gidly. connected with said cone ring adjacent the large diameter edge thereof.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence 01? two witnesses.

ALANSON P. BRUSH. Witnesses E. L, THURsToN, A. J. HUDSON.- 

